Have you heard of Puntarelle Romane?

Roman-style puntarelle salad is a fresh and tasty side dish, popular in Lazio because puntarelle are typical of this area. Fortunately, they are now readily available in supermarkets, and sometimes you'll find them already clean and ready to be seasoned.

Puntarelle are a popular vegetable, especially for those who love the bitter taste and crunchy consistency.

These are the shoots of a particular variety of Catalogna chicory that looks like an elongated, deep green tuft of leaves. Inside the tuft are the bits of chicory that are about to sprout: that's where you get your puntarelle from.

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Well, let's get the puntarelle!

Ingredients:

Puntarelle (Catalonian chicory sprouts) 500g

Anchovies fillets in oil 4 (even more if you like the taste)

Extra virgin olive oil 30g

White wine vinegar 10g

Garlic 1 clove

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Instructions:

I hope you've found the puntarelle already cut and ready, but if not, let's take a step back. Clean the tuft carefully, making sure that there is no soil residue. Separate the harder, more fibrous leaves from the sprouts (the puntarelle).

Once you have removed the base, which is the hardest part, you can cut the puntarelle in half and then into strips.

Then leave the puntarelle in cold water for an hour.

If you bought them already cut, you can start here: put them in cold water for an hour and after, drain them.

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At this point, put anchovies, garlic, salt, pepper, oil, vinegar and some puntarelle in a mixer. Blend until creamy.

Season the puntarelle with the cream obtained from your blended ingredients and serve. Quick, isn't it?

Once cleaned, season and serve them immediately; otherwise, they will lose their all-important crunchiness. Alternatively, avoid seasoning them in advance, prepare the seasoning at the last moment and keep the puntarelle in a cool place or the fridge, covered with transparent film.

Buon appetito!